I don't want to offend any Christians who are Calvinists, but I think Calvinism is truly wrong. When I learned about it a few years ago, I was shocked that not only was it a perspective, but it was a popular perspective.
Calvinism is a perspective that claims:
- God is so sovereign that He controls everything that happens in life.
- Human beings don't have free will.
- Human beings can't choose to have faith in God. God is the one who decides who will have faith in Him.
- God is the one who chooses who will be saved and who will go to hell.
- God actually created some people to only go to hell without hope of being saved (They use Judas as an example.)
- God wants to create people for hell because they will somehow bring Him more glory.
- God wanted sin to happen to show the world how merciful He is by sending Jesus to save some people.
That's just a few beliefs held by Calvinists. To me, I just think it's all clearly wrong. But that's why I said "God is love" is the foundation of faith. I'm sure Calvinist believe that Jesus is the foundation, but look at the other beliefs they have. It's really unfortunate.
Please tell me your thoughts about what I shared. I would love to know.
I have not studied deeply into it, but scripture seems to refute those beliefs. 2 Peter Chapter 3, for example. In verse 9, it reads, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
God being patient (long-suffering) toward us, and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance sounds like humans have a choice to make. If those choices do not make a difference, as Calvinism seems to imply, then why would God wait so patiently for people to come to repentance?
God wills that no one perishes, so He's patient with us and gives us time to repent. If Calvinism were true, and we were all predestined for one place or the other, heaven or hell, then why would God feel the need to be patient with us?
It doesn't make sense that God might say, "I've decided these three will go to hell... now let Me wait patiently and see if they will repent."
If God is giving people time to repent, the choice of whether we repent or not must be ours.
And 2 Peter 3:14-18 tells us to be diligent to be found in Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and further down warns us to beware lest we fall from our own steadfastness. If we did not have free will, then why all the encouragement and warnings? What would our heeding this advice (or not heeding it) effect?
"14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:14-18
In short, I believe if we choose to search for Jesus, and we mean it in our heart, we will find Him. Some people aren't even looking for Him, and God shows up--just like Saul before he became Paul. Jesus wants us to make the choice to have faith in Him. And if we do, there will be evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.
Jesus is our only hope, and He wants people to be saved. Not everyone will choose Him, but He is patiently waiting for their repentance, if they will choose to. His time allows people this opportunity.
. And I look forward to continuing our conversations, and any questions you may have. If any require an answer of a somewhat private nature, such as my age, then I do not mind answering those in a direct message.
